All she could think about was not letting Wen Yan drown, and the only way to prevent that, in her mind, was to quickly surface.
What she didn’t expect was that after she pushed him to the surface and looked around, she didn’t see Wen Yan’s figure. She had been searching in the water and still hadn’t found him.
Just then, seeing a bit of light—formed from Yang Energy—appear on the water’s surface in the darkness, she immediately swam over.
She tried to surface, but no matter what, she couldn’t break through this water’s surface, nor could she see anything above it, only that fingertip.
She reached out and touched Wen Yan’s fingertip, and Wen Yan immediately understood.
To be safe, Wen Yan carried the Little Zombie on his back and, holding onto Uncle with one hand, entered the pool with him.
Only after he had fully submerged in the pool did he see Wang Xueqi’s figure.
Wang Xueqi reached out, grabbed his hand, and sped through the dark water.
By the time Wang Xueqi, drawing on her experience, brought Wen Yan to the water’s surface above the deep pool, Wen Yan felt he couldn’t float up.
The white safety helmets he had brought from the chemical plant Domain couldn’t be taken out. The water’s surface was like an impassable chasm; no matter what he did, he couldn’t get the white safety helmets through.
Wen Yan inwardly sighed in pity.
Underwater, it could still be roughly considered within the chemical plant Domain’s confines, but once he surfaced, it would mean completely leaving the chemical plant Domain.
It truly was a pity that such magical safety helmets couldn’t be taken with him.
He handed the three white safety helmets to Wang Xueqi.
"I’ll trouble you to keep these for me. I’ll need them next time. These things can’t be taken out."
"Okay, I’ll get you to the surface first," Wang Xueqi said, anxious again. She saw Wen Yan in the water, and even though she knew he wouldn’t drown, she still panicked.
"No hurry. I had quite a few things I wanted to ask you," Wen Yan soothed Wang Xueqi. He once again extended his finger and gently touched her forehead, giving her a small Blessing of Yang Energy.
"Fine then..." Wang Xueqi was still a bit reluctant.
Wen Yan smiled, not minding. It was this very nature of hers that made it possible to slightly distort the Water Ghost Domain.
"Do you still remember where your bones are?"
"Ah..." Wang Xueqi was taken aback, not expecting this to be Wen Yan’s first question.
"Last time, I consulted experts and researched literature. Since ancient times, the bones of those who drowned have been retrieved and buried. I want to try to find your bones, give you a proper burial, and see if there’s a chance for you to find liberation."
"Ah... this..." Wang Xueqi hesitated for a long moment, unsure what to say.
"You don’t remember?"
"I don’t remember, but they should be at the bottom of the deep pool. I’ve never seen them, though."
"Alright, I’ve noted it down. I’ll find a way to search for them later."
"Thank you..." Wang Xueqi said softly.
"You’re welcome. Also, did you see anyone else outside earlier?"
"There was only one dark-skinned woman. No, she couldn’t be human. I remember her; I remember she’s been pulled underwater many times. She doesn’t need to breathe underwater, and her body is very cold. She’s definitely not human."
"Alright, I understand. When I surface later, can you make sure I’m dry?"
Wen Yan hesitated but still decided to tell Wang Xueqi about encountering the three Ghosts.
At least, as friends, neither of them had let the other down.
After hearing this, Wang Xueqi stood dumbfounded for a long while before finally asking softly,
"Could you do me a favor?"
"I remember now. Among those three friends, the other two aren’t married and have siblings, but one of them, Wang Qi, seems to already have a child.
"They met with disaster while searching for me. Now there’s nothing I can do. I just want to do one last good deed.
"I have a savings passbook under the mattress at my home. I’m an orphan, so it’s no use to me anymore.
"Can you withdraw the money inside and give it to Wang Qi’s family?"
Wen Yan agreed. As for the procedures, he didn’t need to worry; Feng Yao could help with such matters.
Wang Xueqi held his hand, chatting about matters here as she led him toward the water’s surface.
When they were close to the surface, Wen Yan saw a Red Fox curled up in a ball in the water.
It was the same two-tailed Red Fox he had encountered before, the one that had bantered with him once.
The Red Fox was curled up as if enveloped in a bubble, its eyes tightly shut, seemingly in a deep sleep.
"No, it seems to know some sort of Spell and created a bubble. But the water was chaotic earlier, and it didn’t float out. I couldn’t find you then, so when I saw it, I dragged it along with me."
Wen Yan nodded, approached the Red Fox, and effortlessly reached into the bubble. He grabbed the scruff of its neck and lifted the Red Fox, carrying it with him as he floated to the surface.
The moment part of his body emerged from the water, he suddenly felt his feet touch the bottom.
He walked out of the water with the obedient Little Zombie on his back, the sleeping Red Fox in one hand, and Uncle following behind him.
The ice-cold pool water clinging to his body seemed to fall away as if controlled by an invisible force, returning to the deep pool.
Stepping onto the bank, Wen Yan saw Lady Lie sitting alone on the grass and offered a slight smile.
"Oh, Lady Lie is here too."
Lady Lie was somewhat shocked. How could Wen Yan have come out of the water?
Seeing Wen Yan emerge from the water, she rapidly speculated: He must have also been swept into the water by the Power unleashed within the Domain after he entered. Wen Yan hadn’t drowned. Moreover, when he emerged, not a single drop of water clung to him. He must certainly be carrying a water-repelling treasure. And to have taken so long to emerge, yet still have the leisure to bring the Red Fox out with him—such composure suggested he possessed more than just one treasure.
Before Lady Lie could say anything, Wen Yan asked first,
"Did something happen earlier? Right after I came in, I encountered several Evil Ghosts and a Green-Haired Zombie. Just as I dealt with them, I was swept away by the water. What happened?"
"So Young Master Su came in at that time, huh?" Lady Lie didn’t hide anything and briefly explained that numerous Wraiths and Walking Dead had appeared. Since she couldn’t handle them herself, she had used the Power of the Water Ghost Domain to resolve the situation.
That’s what she had done the last time such an incident occurred.
After explaining this, Lady Lie smoothly asked,
"I thought only Lady Hong and I had entered today. I didn’t expect Young Master Su to be here too. Why did it take you so long to come out?"
"It was my first time seeing a Water Ghost, so I followed her, wanting to understand more. Unfortunately, she only retained her instincts and wasn’t very interesting."
"..." Lady Lie was speechless. She could never have guessed this would be the reason!